CHSFL rankings

CHSFL predictions, Week 8

By MARC RAIMONDI and JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

No. 8 Xavier vs. Cardinal Spellman (Saturday, 7 p.m. - Rescheduled to Sunday, 10 a.m. @ Kellenberg H.S.)

Staszewski: It wasn’t very nice of the CHSFL schedule makers to leave Spellman with the Knights as their final regular-season game. The Pilots have been improved, but still lack a league win. It’s a bit of a trap game for Xavier with the playoffs starting next week. While I’m sure coach Chris Stevens would like a few more complete performances, but Xavier has had a habit of turning it up and being down right dominant in the second half. They won’t need to here with a comfortable win to complete an unbeaten regular season. Pick: Xavier

Raimondi: Trap game? C’mon, man. With all due respect to Spellman, there has to be a shot for the favored team to lose in a trap game. There’s no shot of that happening here. None. Brent Scardapane could be back or he could still be out. It doesn’t matter. Chris Stevens could run for 150 yards himself this week. The Knights will roll into the playoffs undefeated in league play. Pick: Xavier

Football Roundup: CHSFL playoff matchips released

By MARC RAIMONDI and JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

The CHSFL playoff matchups are set.

St. Anthony’s is again the top-dog and the favorite to win a 10th Class AAA title in the last 11 years. The Friars, coming of a one-point win over No. 4 Iona Prep, host No. 8 Mount St. Michael in the quarterfinals at a time and day to be determined next weekend. Iona welcomes No. 5 Chaminade.

Stepinac, fresh off a Class AA crown last season, is the No. 2 seed in its first season back playing at the highest level. The Crusaders will welcome No. 7 Holy Cross to White Plains 1 p.m. Sunday. No. 6 Monsignor Farrell, making its return to the Class AAA tournament, has to travel to Brooklyn to face red-hot and third-seeded Xaverian.

Over in the 'AA,' it’s Fordham Prep garnering the top spot and it will host No. 8 St. John the Baptist in the quarterfinals. No. 5 Xavier, which won the ‘AA-A’ regular-season title, must head to No. 5 St. Joseph by the Sea to start its title quest. No. 6 Cardinal Hayes hooks up with No. 3 Kellenberg. No. 7 St. Peter’s travels to No. 2 Holy Trinity.

St. Francis Prep, losers of the Class AA sweepstakes after beating Bishop Ford on Sunday night, is seeded first in the Class A tournament. The Terriers host Cardinal Spellman 1 p.m. Sunday at SUNY Maritime in the semifinals. No. 2 Bishop Ford hosts No. 3 Christ the King.

Xavier 52, Cardinal Spellman 6: Jimmy Wolfer had a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown, scored on a 12-yard run and went 4-for-4 on extra points to lead Xavier (7-1, 7-0 ‘AA-A’). Trey Solomon ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries and also had an interception on defense. Charles Guiraud and Danny Donahue each had scoring runs.

Spellman (1-7, 0-7) scored on its opening drive, but did not find the end zone again. It was Xavier’s fourth straight second-half shutout and the Knights have allowed just seven second-half points in league play this year.

BY Elio Velez
New York Daily News

Xavier 52, Spellman 6: Chris Stevens didn’t escape the havoc caused by Saturday’s storm. The Xavier coach was stuck in a darkened garage, and had to make phone calls from his car and reschedule his team’s postponed contest against Spellman, because he lost power in his New Jersey home.

Stevens finally made an agreement with Kellenberg, located in Uniondale, L.I., to let them play their final regular season game at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

The long trip from Manhattan to Long Island didn’t take too much out of Xavier as the Knights easily handled the Cardinals, 52-6.

Xavier ended the season 7-0 and clinched the CHSFL Class AA regular-season title. Sophomore running back Trey Solomon led with the Knights with three rushing touchdowns.

“We still had a lot to play for even if we took care of the division already against St. John (the Baptist) a week ago,” Stevens said. “We want to end up with 11 wins, which will be the most in our history.”

CHSFL rankings, Post Week 8

By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

While it may have taken an extra day because of some cold, snow, rain and wind, the CHSFL regular season is complete.

The league’s rollercoaster ride of a year continued. Iona Prep nearly derailed St. Anthony’s perfect season. Xaverian pounded Chaminade. Mount St. Michael was cooled off by Holy Trinity and Farrell knocked off Holy Cross, prompting the biggest changes in this week’s list. The Mountaineers moved from No. 3 to No.6 and Holy Cross drops two spots to ninth. St. Anthony’s and the X-Men remain in the top two spots as a few teams flip flop beneath. The CHSFL playoff matchups are out and we get revved up this week for an exciting finish.

Here is a look at the regular season’s final rankings:

1. St. Anthony’s (7-0) (Last week: 1)

Close wins are becoming almost as normal as blowouts used to be for St. Anthony’s. For the third time three weeks the Friars needed a late defensive play in a key spot to secure a win. This time it was Antony Leggio tackling Justin Combs on a potential game-winning two-point conversion. The St. Anthony’s winning streak is 26 as it gets set to defend its ‘AAA’ title

Next: No. 6 Mount St. Michael, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA)

2. Xaverian (6-2) (2)

Tushaun Plummer found a way to outdo Laray Smith taking Xaverian’s first play from scrimmage for a touchdown. The senior scored four times to lead the X-Men to a blow out win over Chaminade. It locked up a home playoff game and a date with Monsignor Farrell.

Next: No. 7 Monsignor Farrell, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA)

3. Iona Prep (5-3) (4)

If Alex Kapp was in uniform the Gaels and St. Anthony’s may still be playing. Instead of the star kicker sending the game to overtime with an extra point, Iona was forced to go for a 2-point conversion. Kapp was with his FC Westchester academy soccer team and Justin Combs was brought down before the goal line, But the performance showed the Gaels are playing their best football heading into the postseason.

Next: No. 4 Chaminade, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA)

4. Archbishop Stepinac (6-2) (5)

The Crusaders picked up their first true home win in lopsided fashion against Fordham Prep after falling to Iona Prel a week ago. Caleb Gilligan-Evans rumbled to a big day on the ground 135 yards and touchdowns of 13 and 6 yards for Stepinac. The win helped them earn the second seed in the Class AAA playoffs a year after winning a ‘AA’ crown.

Next: No. 9 Holy Cross, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA)

5. Chaminade (5-3) (6)

The Flyers entered Brooklyn to face Xaverian with a chance to earn a home playoff game. Instead they left with a second straight loss after a blowout defeat to the X-Men. Joe Anile and Co. will need to regroup this week before the 'AAA' playoffs. Chaminade travel to face an Iona team it beat back in Week 6.

Next: @ No. 3 Iona Prep, CHSAA Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA)

6. Mount St. Michael (4-3) (3)

Few teams were playing better or riding higher than Mount St. Michael. That all came crashing to a halt after a disappointing loss to Holy Trinity Saturday. It dropped coach Mario Valentini’s crew to No. 8 in the power-point rankings and earned the Mountaineers a trip to face St. Anthony’s in the opening round of the playoffs.

Next: @ No. 1 St. Anthony’s, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA)

7. Farrell (4-4) (7)

The Lions have experienced a resurgence under first-year coach Jim Bradley. They picked up one of their best wins in recent years by topping Holy Cross in the Lions Den on Friday night. Michael Viegas’ big day on the ground shows he is healthy and ready for the playoffs after helping lock up a Class AAA berth.

Next: @ No. 2 Xaverian, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA)

8. Xavier (7-1) (8)

The Knights finished up a perfect league season with a 52-6 rout of Cardinal Spellman Sunday in their regular-season finale. William (Trey) Solomon added three more rushing touchdowns to his fine sophomore season. Xavier’s eyes now turn to winning a Class AA title and reaching 11 wins, starting with St. Joseph by the Sea in the quarterfinals.

Next: St. Joseph by the Sea, Class AA quarterfinals (TBA)

9. Holy Cross (4-4) (7)

Holy Cross hasn’t been the same team since nearly beating St. Anthony’s all the way back in Week 4. The slide continued with a 20-13 defeat at the hands of Monsignor Farrell. The good news for the Knights was sophomore running back Brandon Pelzer looked strong coming back from injury and the hope is Jordan Francklin will be back for the playoffs.

Next: @ No.4 Archbishop Stepinac, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA)

10. Fordham Prep (3-5) (10)

The Rams get a chance to turn their tough season around as they head into the Class AA playoffs as the top seed. If things play out just right Fordham Prep has a chance to meet rival Xavier for the title during their annual Thanksgiving Day game. A championship would be a solid stepping stone into next season.

On the bubble: Cardinal Hayes (5-3), St. Francis Prep (4-4), St. John the Baptist (4-4), Bishop Ford (4-4), Holy Trinity (2-6), Kellenberg (2-6) and St. Peter’s (3-4).




	CHSFL predictions, Week 8 By MARC RAIMONDI and JOSEPH STASZEWSKI No. 8 Xavier vs. Cardinal Spellman (Saturday, 7 p.m. - Rescheduled to Sunday, 10 a.m. @ Kellenberg H.S.) Staszewski: It wasn’t very nice of the CHSFL schedule makers to leave Spellman with the Knights as their final regular-season game. The Pilots have been improved, but still lack a league win. It’s a bit of a trap game for Xavier with the playoffs starting next week. While I’m sure coach Chris Stevens would like a few more complete performances, but Xavier has had a habit of turning it up and being down right dominant in the second half. They won’t need to here with a comfortable win to complete an unbeaten regular season. Pick: Xavier Raimondi: Trap game? C’mon, man. With all due respect to Spellman, there has to be a shot for the favored team to lose in a trap game. There’s no shot of that happening here. None. Brent Scardapane could be back or he could still be out. It doesn’t matter. Chris Stevens could run for 150 yards himself this week. The Knights will roll into the playoffs undefeated in league play. Pick: Xavier



	Football Roundup: CHSFL playoff matchips released By MARC RAIMONDI and JOSEPH STASZEWSKI The CHSFL playoff matchups are set. St. Anthony’s is again the top-dog and the favorite to win a 10th Class AAA title in the last 11 years. The Friars, coming of a one-point win over No. 4 Iona Prep, host No. 8 Mount St. Michael in the quarterfinals at a time and day to be determined next weekend. Iona welcomes No. 5 Chaminade. Stepinac, fresh off a Class AA crown last season, is the No. 2 seed in its first season back playing at the highest level. The Crusaders will welcome No. 7 Holy Cross to White Plains 1 p.m. Sunday. No. 6 Monsignor Farrell, making its return to the Class AAA tournament, has to travel to Brooklyn to face red-hot and third-seeded Xaverian. Over in the 'AA,' it’s Fordham Prep garnering the top spot and it will host No. 8 St. John the Baptist in the quarterfinals. No. 5 Xavier, which won the ‘AA-A’ regular-season title, must head to No. 5 St. Joseph by the Sea to start its title quest. No. 6 Cardinal Hayes hooks up with No. 3 Kellenberg. No. 7 St. Peter’s travels to No. 2 Holy Trinity. St. Francis Prep, losers of the Class AA sweepstakes after beating Bishop Ford on Sunday night, is seeded first in the Class A tournament. The Terriers host Cardinal Spellman 1 p.m. Sunday at SUNY Maritime in the semifinals. No. 2 Bishop Ford hosts No. 3 Christ the King. Xavier 52, Cardinal Spellman 6: Jimmy Wolfer had a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown, scored on a 12-yard run and went 4-for-4 on extra points to lead Xavier (7-1, 7-0 ‘AA-A’). Trey Solomon ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries and also had an interception on defense. Charles Guiraud and Danny Donahue each had scoring runs. Spellman (1-7, 0-7) scored on its opening drive, but did not find the end zone again. It was Xavier’s fourth straight second-half shutout and the Knights have allowed just seven second-half points in league play this year.

	BY Elio Velez New York Daily News Xavier 52, Spellman 6: Chris Stevens didn’t escape the havoc caused by Saturday’s storm. The Xavier coach was stuck in a darkened garage, and had to make phone calls from his car and reschedule his team’s postponed contest against Spellman, because he lost power in his New Jersey home. Stevens finally made an agreement with Kellenberg, located in Uniondale, L.I., to let them play their final regular season game at 10 a.m. on Sunday. The long trip from Manhattan to Long Island didn’t take too much out of Xavier as the Knights easily handled the Cardinals, 52-6. Xavier ended the season 7-0 and clinched the CHSFL Class AA regular-season title. Sophomore running back Trey Solomon led with the Knights with three rushing touchdowns. “We still had a lot to play for even if we took care of the division already against St. John (the Baptist) a week ago,” Stevens said. “We want to end up with 11 wins, which will be the most in our history.”



























	CHSFL rankings, Post Week 8 By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI While it may have taken an extra day because of some cold, snow, rain and wind, the CHSFL regular season is complete. The league’s rollercoaster ride of a year continued. Iona Prep nearly derailed St. Anthony’s perfect season. Xaverian pounded Chaminade. Mount St. Michael was cooled off by Holy Trinity and Farrell knocked off Holy Cross, prompting the biggest changes in this week’s list. The Mountaineers moved from No. 3 to No.6 and Holy Cross drops two spots to ninth. St. Anthony’s and the X-Men remain in the top two spots as a few teams flip flop beneath. The CHSFL playoff matchups are out and we get revved up this week for an exciting finish. Here is a look at the regular season’s final rankings: 1. St. Anthony’s (7-0) (Last week: 1) Close wins are becoming almost as normal as blowouts used to be for St. Anthony’s. For the third time three weeks the Friars needed a late defensive play in a key spot to secure a win. This time it was Antony Leggio tackling Justin Combs on a potential game-winning two-point conversion. The St. Anthony’s winning streak is 26 as it gets set to defend its ‘AAA’ title Next: No. 6 Mount St. Michael, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA) 2. Xaverian (6-2) (2) Tushaun Plummer found a way to outdo Laray Smith taking Xaverian’s first play from scrimmage for a touchdown. The senior scored four times to lead the X-Men to a blow out win over Chaminade. It locked up a home playoff game and a date with Monsignor Farrell. Next: No. 7 Monsignor Farrell, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA) 3. Iona Prep (5-3) (4) If Alex Kapp was in uniform the Gaels and St. Anthony’s may still be playing. Instead of the star kicker sending the game to overtime with an extra point, Iona was forced to go for a 2-point conversion. Kapp was with his FC Westchester academy soccer team and Justin Combs was brought down before the goal line, But the performance showed the Gaels are playing their best football heading into the postseason. Next: No. 4 Chaminade, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA) 4. Archbishop Stepinac (6-2) (5) The Crusaders picked up their first true home win in lopsided fashion against Fordham Prep after falling to Iona Prel a week ago. Caleb Gilligan-Evans rumbled to a big day on the ground 135 yards and touchdowns of 13 and 6 yards for Stepinac. The win helped them earn the second seed in the Class AAA playoffs a year after winning a ‘AA’ crown. Next: No. 9 Holy Cross, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA) 5. Chaminade (5-3) (6) The Flyers entered Brooklyn to face Xaverian with a chance to earn a home playoff game. Instead they left with a second straight loss after a blowout defeat to the X-Men. Joe Anile and Co. will need to regroup this week before the 'AAA' playoffs. Chaminade travel to face an Iona team it beat back in Week 6. Next: @ No. 3 Iona Prep, CHSAA Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA) 6. Mount St. Michael (4-3) (3) Few teams were playing better or riding higher than Mount St. Michael. That all came crashing to a halt after a disappointing loss to Holy Trinity Saturday. It dropped coach Mario Valentini’s crew to No. 8 in the power-point rankings and earned the Mountaineers a trip to face St. Anthony’s in the opening round of the playoffs. Next: @ No. 1 St. Anthony’s, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA) 7. Farrell (4-4) (7) The Lions have experienced a resurgence under first-year coach Jim Bradley. They picked up one of their best wins in recent years by topping Holy Cross in the Lions Den on Friday night. Michael Viegas’ big day on the ground shows he is healthy and ready for the playoffs after helping lock up a Class AAA berth. Next: @ No. 2 Xaverian, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA) 8. Xavier (7-1) (8) The Knights finished up a perfect league season with a 52-6 rout of Cardinal Spellman Sunday in their regular-season finale. William (Trey) Solomon added three more rushing touchdowns to his fine sophomore season. Xavier’s eyes now turn to winning a Class AA title and reaching 11 wins, starting with St. Joseph by the Sea in the quarterfinals. Next: St. Joseph by the Sea, Class AA quarterfinals (TBA) 9. Holy Cross (4-4) (7) Holy Cross hasn’t been the same team since nearly beating St. Anthony’s all the way back in Week 4. The slide continued with a 20-13 defeat at the hands of Monsignor Farrell. The good news for the Knights was sophomore running back Brandon Pelzer looked strong coming back from injury and the hope is Jordan Francklin will be back for the playoffs. Next: @ No.4 Archbishop Stepinac, Class AAA quarterfinals (TBA) 10. Fordham Prep (3-5) (10) The Rams get a chance to turn their tough season around as they head into the Class AA playoffs as the top seed. If things play out just right Fordham Prep has a chance to meet rival Xavier for the title during their annual Thanksgiving Day game. A championship would be a solid stepping stone into next season. On the bubble: Cardinal Hayes (5-3), St. Francis Prep (4-4), St. John the Baptist (4-4), Bishop Ford (4-4), Holy Trinity (2-6), Kellenberg (2-6) and St. Peter’s (3-4).